It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jean Deloche, who died on December 3, 2019 in Pondicherry. Born on September 19, 1929 in Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie), he had just celebrated his 90th birthday, surrounded by the staff of the Centre where he spent a large part of his life. After teaching at the Suryavarman II High School in Siem Reap from 1961 to 1962 and then directing the Alliance Française de Madras, in 1966 he joined the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) as a research fellow (chargé de recherche), then as a research fellow (maître de recherche) in Pondicherry, where he lived until his death. From 1992 to 1994, he was in charge of the EFEO's History and Archaeology Center in Pondicherry, where he kept his office until the end of his life.

His research is organized around two poles.

The first is the publication of 18th century French manuscripts of vital importance to the political, economic and social history of India: the account of the Count of Modave; the epic of Jean-Baptiste Chevalier; the living testimony of the Jesuit Wendel on the ephemeral Jat kingdom; and finally, the long Indian experience of the great naturalist Pierre Sonnerat.

The second concerns the history of Indian technology. His meticulous research on transport techniques, cars, boats and bridges has been the subject of a vast synthesis published in French and English and reproduced in part in Volume II of History of Technology in India. His work on fortifications, which mainly dealt with the fortified structures of the southern part of the peninsula, brought a new typology to military architecture. On the creation of Pondicherry, generally attributed to the French, he showed that the city grew according to a rigorous urban plan designed by a Dutch cartographic engineer at the end of the 17th century.

He was always ready to discuss with researchers, young students or the public, so it is a huge void that he leaves when he disappears.

Photo: Jean Deloche, in a temple in Madhura, Dwaraka, India, February 27, 1979 (EFEO_DELJ00850).

Jean-Baptiste Chevance and Sakhoeun Sakada, of the Archaeology and Development Foundation (ADF) - Phnom Kulen program, will give a lecture on the theme: "Phnom Kulen, past and future". The presentation will be in English with a translation into Khmer.

At 5:30 p.m. at the EFEO Center in Siem Reap.

At the invitation of Luca Gabbiani (EFEO) and Xavier Paulès (EHESS, CCJ), Wu Jen-shu (researcher at the Institute of Modern History of the Academia Sinica) is in Paris from November 25 to December 15. On this occasion, he will be giving a lecture on December 3 as part of the seminar La Chine républicaine (1912-1949) : nouvelles approches historiques entitled:"“Paradise” after disaster: City life in Suzhou during the anti-Japanese war".

From 3pm to 5pm, at the EHESS, room 4, 105 Bd Raspail 75006 Paris.

As part of the series of conferences on Hommes, territoires et sociétés organized by the EFEO Center in Jakarta and the Institut français d’Indonésie (IFI), Daniel Perret (EFEO) will give a lecture on the theme "Nineteen Years of French-Indonesian Archaeological Cooperation In North Sumatra".

At 5:30 p.m., at the IFI, large Jl Thamrin auditorium.

The lectures in the Hommes, territoires et sociétés series organized by the EFEO Center in Jakarta and the IFI are to be reviewed on the IFI's Youtube channel.

As part of the Kitashirakawa EFEO Salon, Kadowaki Dai (Lycée Kôbe Seijô) presents the first conference of the 2019-2020 cycle, whose theme is At the Frontier of Faith and Knowledge in Japan from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age: "Prestige in the Edo Period and Its Practitioners. Stories about Kashin Koji" (in Japanese without translation).

At 6 p.m., at the EFEO Center in Kyoto (opened to all).

As part of the Kyoto lectures, Steven Ivings (University of Kyôto) presents: "Between the Meiji Restoration and Ezo Republic. The Boshin War Viewed from Hakodate".

At 6 p.m., at the EFEO Center in Kyoto (opened to all).

As part of the Cerangkor-OnFire archaeological experimentation project organized at the EFEO Center in Siem Reap, two ceramic firings in a dragon kiln replica are being organized on December 5 and 9. The public firing on December 9th will take place at 6pm around a buffet to which you are warmly invited.

In addition to providing our knowledge of this Angkorian industry, these experiments constitute a unique didactic tool for students who will have to search equivalent structures.

Details about the project and event on the website and Facebook page.

From November 23 to December 14, Frédérique Valentin (CNRS) is on a mission to Taiwan at the invitation of the EFEO Center in Taipei.
From November 25 to December 4, she is giving an intensive seminar on bioarchaeology and taphonomy at the Institute of Archaeology of Cheng Kung National University (NCKU) in Tainan. She will then be giving two lectures in Taipei:
- the first on 12 December on the theme: "Flexed or extended: Thoughts on past burial practices interpretations", organized jointly with the Archaeology Research Centre of Taiwan and South-East Asia, (Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica)
- the second on 13 December entitled: "Becoming Polynesian: An analysis based on funerary data recorded at Talasiu site, Kingdom of Tonga", in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology of the National Taiwan University.

The team at the EFEO Center in Vientiane, accompanied by Buakamphan Phongsathorn (Chiang Mai EFEO Center), will conduct a mission to Khammouane and Savannakhet provinces between December 9 and 20 to complete a stamping campaign of inscriptions on stelae and study recently discovered small images of Buddha.

From December 7 to 15, with Benoît Lafay (sculpture curator-restaurateur), Éric Bourdonneau will travel to Siem Reap to prepare and organize the technical committee of the restoration program for the Shiva Dancing Statue of Koh Ker's Prasat Thom. The committee, which will be held on December 12, will bring together the ad hoc teams and experts (MNAAG, GACP) of the project, as well as representatives of partner institutions (Preah Vihear National Authority, National Museum of Cambodia, APSARA National Authority). On the occasion of this committee, the conclusions of the technical study phase started in April 2019 and the various scenarios selected for the actual restoration phase scheduled for 2020 will be presented.

On December 10 and 11, he will participate in the CIC-Angkor and present, with Kong Vireak (Director of the National Museum of Cambodia) and with the support of the APSARA National Authority and the Iconem agency, a paper entitled: "New elements on the so-called "portrait statues" of King Jayavarman VII.

On December 13 and 14, Michela Bussotti will participate in the workshop Genealogical Manuscripts, organized by Markus Friedrich at the Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures of the University of Hamburg, her talk will focus on : "Genealogies in central China, Huizhou genealogies as an example".

Alain Arrault (EFEO) speaks on: "Ecrire l'histoire en Chine" as part of the PSL-EHESS-EPHE-EFEO Master in Asian Studies, the general theme of which is Telling and writing history.

From 10:30 to 12:00, Maison de l'Asie, 22, avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, Grand salon, 1st floor (opened to all).

La première grande annale historique en Chine a été écrite de manière privée quelques siècles avant notre ère. Au fil du temps, la rédaction de l'histoire officielle se trouva définitivement codifiée dans des structures gouvernementales: chaque étape d'une dynastie (ère, règne) était ainsi l'objet d'un enregistrement des événements, des faits importants, et l'écriture de l'histoire complète de la dynastie se trouvait élaborée par la dynastie suivante, un schéma qui a perduré jusqu'à la dernière dynastie des Mandchous. Parallèlement se développèrent une histoire "universelle", -- explorer l'histoire sur sa longue durée et en tirer des leçons pour le présent --, quant au contenu, et des chronologies tabellaires, parcourant l'histoire de la Chine des temps les plus anciens jusqu'au temps présent, quant à la forme. Cette volonté d'une lecture "panoptique" fut également à l'oeuvre dans une cosmologisation de l'histoire, qui prit des formes différentes, comme par exemple la succession des dynasties qui obéit à des règles cosmologiques, ou encore l'histoire des hommes insérée dans les grands cycles de l'univers...

Legend: Manuscript page of the Mirror to help the government (Zizhi tongjian 司馬光) by Sima Guang (1019-1086) relating the events of the year 322 (East Jin dynasty). At the end of the roll, a letter of thanks from Sima Guang. This manuscript is said to be by Sima Guang. Preserved at the National Library of China.

Christophe Marquet, Director, is on the Advisory Commission on Archaeological Research Abroad at the MEAE on December 5.

Christophe Pottier, Director of Studies, is on a mission to Laos and Cambodia from December 7 to 20. He is on mission to Wat Phou as a member of the Expert Advisory Group, at the invitation of the UNESCO Regional Centre in Bangkok and the Department of Lao Heritage.

The Maison de l'Asie closes from Monday, December 23, 2019 at 8pm to Thursday, January 2, 2020 at 8am.